Top 10 Sports Performances Of 2022

Throughout 2022, there were some truly incredible sports performances. From individuals to teams, there were plenty of instances where fans were left stunned by what they had just watched. Overall, it was just an amazing year to be a sports fan.

Whether you love auto racing, football, soccer, basketball, or even hockey, you had plenty of reasons to cheer. It feels like the best athletes truly showed up this year, while we were also hit with some immaculate surprises. Needless to say, sports fans have been eating well as of late.

That said, we decided to count down the top 10 best sports performances of the calendar year.

Yes, that's right, the first spot on our list goes to Max Verstappen. This season, Verstappen won his second-straight Formula 1 title. Additionally, he broke the record for most wins in a season with 15. Sure, there were more races than ever before, however, he showed everyone why he's a legend in the making. This was a historic campaign that will be celebrated for years to come.

At this point, the Houston Astros are a hated franchise, and for good reason. They are known for their cheating scandal that rocked Major League Baseball. Despite this, they were phenomenal this past season. Their performance against the Philadelphia Phillies was impressive, and their 106-win regular season was something to behold.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are one of the best dynasties in the history of college football. However, they weren't good enough to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs for the National Championship. Georgia went 14-1 last season and even came through with a 33-18 victory in the final. Overall, it was a huge win for that program, and it's a performance that will be remembered for a very long time. That 20-point fourth quarter is truly what sealed the deal.

The Colorado Avalanche have had an amazing team for a while now. Unfortunately, they were never able to put it all together in the playoffs. In 2022, however, that all changed as the Avalanche were dominant on their way to the Stanley Cup Final. Additionally, they defeated the reigning two-time champion Tampa Bay Lightning to win it all. This was one of the biggest triumphs of the year, and it needs to be highlighted.

Israel Adesanya came into his Middleweight title defense against Alex Pereira with a ton of confidence. After all, Izzy is one of the most entertaining fighters in all of the UFC. Although most fans predicted that he would win, Alex Pereira played spoiler. Anytime you win as an underdog, you have to be considered for a best sports performance list. These two will probably fight again soon, however, Adesanya better prepare himself.

Wilt Chamberlain's stat lines were truly some of the most absurd we've ever seen. Since his time in the league, only a handful of players have been able to match him. Interestingly enough, Nikola Jokic did just that just a few days ago. The performance was so good that we had no choice but to include it here. Against the Charlotte Hornets, the man had 40 points, 27 rebounds, and 10 assists. That is wild by anyone's standards. If you love basketball, then you have to appreciate this kind of greatness.

Joe Burrow's run to the Super Bowl speaks for itself. His offensive line was non-existent and he still showed shades of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Joe Montana. The Bengals have a fantastic defense and they deserve their credit. However, Burrow's mental toughness helped turn the Bengals from underdogs into a real Super Bowl threat. During the big game, they were only a couple of minutes away from winning. While they didn't get it done, Burrow will likely deliver that team a Super Bowl before he retires.

The third-best sports performance on our list goes to none other than Leon Edwards. Edwards was able to dethrone Kamaru Usman for the Welterweight title. Coming into this match, fans thought Usman would coast his way to another belt. Unfortunately for him, it did not go down that way. Instead, Edwards hit Usman with a fifth-round knockout that sent shockwaves throughout the UFC. It was a huge moment for Edwards' career, and fans loved every single second of it. We can only imagine what their rematch will look like.

What more can be said about Steph Curry? He won his fourth NBA title this past year and he got his first NBA Finals MVP trophy. Overall, he carried that Warriors team, and making a list of sports performances without him on it would be criminal. He deserves this spot, and he would have been number one if not for the World Cup Final.

If you watched the World Cup Final, then you know that Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi stole the show. These were the superstars of their respective countries, and they showed up to play. While Argentina won it all, it was Mbappe who secured the golden boot with a hat trick in the final match. Additionally, Messi scored two goals to keep his team together. This was a back-and-forth tilt with France going down by 2 early. However, in just a couple of minutes, Mbappe scored two goals to tie it. From there, Extra Time and the subsequent Penalty Shootout gave us the best dramatics the World Cup has ever seen. If you love sports, you know that these two are deserving of the number one spot. We will remember this showdown for not just years, but decades to come.

Let us know your favorite sports performances, in the comments down below.